Running-board for railway-cars.



PATENTBD MAY 24,"19 o4.

M. s. NoLAN.

RUNNING BOARD POR RAILWAY GARS.

APPILIOATION FILED 00121. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I' No MODEL.

@ 1/wanton No. 760,916. 2 I PATENTLD 'MAY 24,' 1904.

' M. s. NoLAN.

RUNNINGIBOARD POR RAILWAY GARS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 21, 190s. ,A No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- UNITED STATES Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THIRD TO HORACE B. FROST, OF WESTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RUNNING-BOARD Fon RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,916, dated May 24,1904.

Application filed October 21, 1903. Serial No. 177.897. (Ncmoclel.)

1'0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, lMARTIN S. NoLAN, a citiin the county of Middlesexand State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inRunning-Boards for Railway- Cars, of which the followlng is aspecltication. This Invention relates to running-boards or steps forrailway cars, particularly open street-cars having a footboard runningthe length of the car on each side thereof. It is desirable in cars ofthis kind that folding footboards be used, so that the board on the sidenext the adjoining track may be folded to prevent ingress or egress ofpassengers on that side, and such folding boards are particularlynecessary with high cars having two or more steps, one at least of whichmust be folded to permit the passage of cars on adjoining tracks. Somecars have footboards which fold up against the foot-guard. These areobjectionable because they project more or less and also because theyare unsightly.

The object of this invention is to provide a footboard which will notwhen folded project beyond the line of the foot-guard.

A further object is to produce a footboard which lowers to form awheel-guard.

Another object is to provide simple and efficient means for supportingthe footboard when it is used as a step.

With these and other objects in view the invention is hereinafterdescribed and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is an outer side view showing two steps, -one of which isfoldable. Fig. 2 is an inner side view thereof, and Figs. 3 and 4 aresectional views with the folding step in different positions. l

Referring to the drawings 6 indicates the side beam or body of the car,faced by the upper foot-guard 7, to which is bolted the footboardbrackets or hangers 8 at suitable distances apart. The upper step 9 isxed upon the brackets, the ends of which dependV below the same toreceive a backing timber or board 10 for the lower foot-guard 11. Bolts12 extend guard 11 and there held by the bolts 12. This construction isconvenient and 'serves to conceal the Shanks of the hangers.

The hingeV members 16, to which the footboard 13 is bolted, have at theinner edge of said board eyes 16, through which the rod 14 passesloosely, and these members are placed between and at a distance' fromthe hangers 15,4 permitting limited lengthwise movement of the footboardfor a purpose to be hereinafter stated. Theinner ends of the members 16are extended inwardly or upwardly, as at 16h, and the backing l() isrecessed, as at 10, behind the guard 11 to receive these extensions whenthe board is dropped, as in Fig. 3. Beside these recesses blocks 17 arebolted to the backing, on theinner side thereof, and terminate in heads17 t, against which the extensions 16b are in contact when the footboardis raised to support the same, as shown in Fig. 4', and to hold theboard against lengthwise movement. When so supported, depending -stops18 are ixed to and project from the lower edge of the backing.

In -use when the footboard is lowered it hangs within the lines of thefoot-guard, and the extensions 16" fit in the recesses 10, Endwisemovement is thus prevented and the board acts as a wheel-guard. Tosupport the footboard for use as such, it is first swung up on its hingeuntil the extensions 16'D willpass under the stops 18 and then movedlengthwise on the rod until said extensions are opposite the bloc is 17,and when lowered to horizontal position the extensions 16b abut theheads of the blocks and support the footboard as a step, and theoverhanging stops 18 then serve to prevent the board slipping back anddropping.

It will be seen that the supporting devices are all on the inner andlower sides, giving a clear step, free from objectionable projections oroutside supports liable to trip or injure passengers. rIhe loose andsimple hangings permit easy and quick manipulation, and the parts arecapable of inexpensive manufacture and application.

Obviously the invention is capable of application when only one step isused, and although it has greatest utility-with the long footboards ofopen cars it may be used on the platform-steps of closed cars.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A longitudinally-shiftable car-step having hinge connections with thecar-body and constructed to lift to horizontal and lower to verticalposition, and means to support the same in horizontal position.

2. A longitudinally-shiftable hinged carstep having supportingconnections with the car-body, in horizontal position, disengageabletopermit the step to swing down.

3. The combination with a car, of al footboard hinged thereto, a supporton the ear for the board when in horizontal position, and means todisengage the board from the support, to permit the board to swing down.

4. The combination with a car, of a footboard hinged thereto, a supporton the car for the board to hold the Same in horizontal position, theboard being shiftable lengthwise to disengage the same from the support.

5. The combination with a car, `of a footboard hingedthereto, a supporton the car inside the hinge, and a projection on the footboard extendinginwardly beyond the hinge, engageable with the support to hold thefootboard horizontally and disengageable therewith to lower the same.

6. The combination With a car, of a rod supported along the sidethereof, a footboard hinged on the rod and slidable lengthwise along-thesame and having projections extending inwardly beyond the same, andsupports on the car with which the projections are engaged or disengagedaccording to the position of the footboard.

7. The combination with a car-body and footboard, of a hinge connectionbetween them constructed to permit relative lengthwise movement,projections extending inwardly from the footboard, supports on the bodyagainst which the projections abut when the footboard is horizontal, andstops preventing casual disengagement of the projections and supports.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN S. NOLAN.

Witnesses:

JAMES A. BAILEY, Jr., HORACE BIRD FRos'r.

